Developer behind €350m Cork Docklands project seeks to remove commercial units for five more apartments 

Developer is seeking to convert units set out for bars, cafes and gyms into additional residential accommodation

Cork South Docks proposal by O'Callaghan Properties.

The developers behind one of Cork City's most ambitious housing schemes have sought permission to amend plans for a 160-apartment development on the South Docklands, which would see the removal of some ground-floor commercial units in favour of more apartments. 

Larchtown Limited, led by Brian O'Callaghan of O'Callaghan Properties, who are behind the €350m docklands transformation plan, sought planning permission to amend the mixed-use development, including the conversion of a variety of permitted commercial uses at the ground-floor level of the building, which is to be located at the rear of the Odlums building within the South Docklands. 

These commercial uses included a cafe/bar, as well as a gym, gallery, retail, café or bakery. 

The developer is now seeking to change these units into additional residential apartments at the ground-floor level, which it said would comprise four two-bedroom units and one one-bedroom unit. The proposed amendment would result in an overall increase from 98 to 103 homes, the developer said.

In its latest planning bid, Larchtown Limited said the housing crisis was being felt "most acutely in urban cities" and continues to worsen as demand far outstrips supply. 

"The proposed development will make far more efficient use of strategic urban regeneration land in the midst of a housing crisis than the permitted use.

It added that the permitted uses would be "challenging to occupy at this location," noting that such uses tend to be more attracted to the city centre or market places such as the Marina Market or Black Market, which are both located close to the site within the South Docklands. 

Building more than 160 apartments on Kennedy Quay is just one strand of O'Callaghan Property's €350m south docks plan, with a 130-bed private rehabilitation hospital also proposed for the corner of Kennedy Quay/Victoria Road, as well as 42,000 sq ft of office space also in the pipeline. 

The project will involve the restoration and redevelopment of the iconic redbrick Odlums’ Mills building.

Cork’s docks are earmarked for up to 20,000 residential units, at locations like Kennedy Quay, along Centre Park Rd and the Marina, at the Live at the Marquee site and on the north docks, including Horgans Quay, with a number of planning permissions granted.

Cork City Council are due to decide on the proposed amendment by November 27, 2025.